Eskom spends over R5bn on diesel to keep the lights on
Eskom says it has spent R5.26 billion on fuel for its fleet of open-cycle gas turbines (OCGT), generating 892.42GWh to keep the lights on so far this financial year.
This is higher than the 485.39GWh generated during the same period last year.
The utility stated that the power system remains stable and continues to demonstrate resilience in meeting winter demand.
System constraints
Eskom added that while occasional system constraints do arise, they are effectively managed, with sufficient emergency reserves being deployed during morning and evening peak periods.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the year-to-date load factor for OGCT has marginally increased to 10.78%, reflecting a 0.08% increase compared to the previous week.
'This figure remains higher than the 5.87% recorded during the same period last year. Although diesel usage is within budget, it is expected to decline as more units return to service, increasing available generation capacity.'
ALSO READ: Eskom gets boost as Kusile's final unit adds 800MW to grid
Load shedding
Mokwena stated that Eskom's winter outlook, covering the period from 5 May to 31 August, has not changed.
'It indicates that load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to stage 2.'
According to Eskom, for the week of 4 to 10 July 2025, unplanned outages averaged 13 628MW – a decrease from the previous week, but 1 525MW higher than the same period last year and 628MW above the base case estimate of 13 000MW.
Electricity demand
Mokwena said that while load shedding remains suspended, electricity demand is rising during the winter period.
'Eskom urges the public to avoid illegal connections and energy theft. These activities often lead to transformer overloads, equipment failures, and in some cases, explosions and extended outages, prompting the need for load reduction to protect the network.'
Last week, Eskom hammered another nail in the load shedding coffin, announcing that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station was successfully returned to service eight months ahead of its original schedule.
This has added 800MW to the national grid.
ALSO READ: Eskom takes action after breach of online vending system
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